Gravity
by heldin-delta
Summary: Post-Hogwarts. After the war, Draco feels a little lost. Harry Potter of all people helps him to gain control of his life. And somehow, although Draco really hadn't planned it that way, he just can't get away from him.


_Let's start at the beginning of this story_

_I was just a boy with nowhere to call home_

"Alright, Mr Malfoy, from now on, you're on your own."

He nodded, staring into the first rays of morning sunshine, and wished that it was raining. It would have fitted this situation so much better to have rain pouring down on him than hearing the annoying happy chipper of birds and bees flying around.

"As you well know, the Malfoy family treasure does not belong to you any longer. It is now property of the Ministry of Magic. You are also stripped of the Manor, but as Mr Harry Potter spoke to your advantage concerning your part in the war, you are still allowed to use your magic. I wish you good luck."

The Auror, a short blond man with a small scar under his left eye, gave him a formal smile, and Draco forced himself to smile back.

He might be left with nothing but his magic, _thanks to Saint Potter_, but he hadn't been the leader of Slytherin since his very first day for nothing. He still had his looks and his Malfoy-charms. He would come back.

XXX

"I am so sorry, Mr Malfoy, but I don't think that you fit our criteria."

His eyes became small slits and he had to hold back a hiss. He was more than qualified for this stupid job, but apparently the damn firm did not think that it was very clever to have a former Death Eater as a fellow co-worker.

It was the eighth firm, and it was maddening. No one would engage him because of a surname that 13 months ago would have opened every door in the whole country. He swallowed hard and forced a smile on his face. Somehow that damn smile was the only constant thing in his life.

"I see", he said evenly, "well, thanks for the time."

He got up and walked out, well knowing that a rant would have brought him nothing but trouble and bad publicity, but still having to fight back the urge to show that fat old bastard just _how_ well he fitted that damn criteria.

_There I was building houses on the sand_

_I could see that I was only running circles in my mind_

He sat in front of the ministry, waiting for Blaise. It killed him to be so dependant, but the Italian was the only one that turned out to be a true friend – or at least something close to that. Draco very well knew of the ulterior motives the dark-haired had, but that was the least of his worries. Blaise hadn't tried anything – yet. Sooner or later his friend would try to take advantage of his current weakness, but right now they were fine. Or as fine as he could be.

"Malfoy?" a voice behind him suddenly asked, and he turned around. There he was, the Saviour of the Wizarding World, looking every bit of the hero everyone claimed him to be. Draco very much wanted to vomit on the stairs.

"Potter. What a pleasure", he said dryly, turning away and hoping that the Gryffindor would take the hint and leave him alone.

"You don't look to well", the dark-haired observed, and Draco scowled. Only Harry Potter could be so oblivious to the fact that he was pissed beyond reason. "What have you been up to during the last few months?"

Draco shot him an icy glare and gritted his teeth. Good Lord, did Potter really want to make small talk? "Nothing, Potter. I'm living on the charity of a good friend because the Ministry does not help people financially who have got magical powers. As far as I know, that's your work. So thanks a lot."

The auror – he obviously was one, as his cloak showed, and what else would Potter ever do than chase the evil? – blinked stupidly and cleared his throat. "So working like every other persons is to substandard for you?" he replied, disgust tinting his voice.

Draco really wanted to kill him in that very moment, but it probably wouldn't do his reputation any good if he murdered the great Potter just because he was so damn annoying. So he only gave a cold laugh and looked away, not wanting to see the superiority in those too green eyes any longer. "I'm evil, Potter, have you forgotten that? No one wants to work with the evil", he answered and finally spotted Blaise. He sighed gratefully and started to walk away, when suddenly a hand grasped his wrist. His eyes slowly wandered down until they met Potter's fingers, which were firmly wrapped around his sleeve. Bloody Gryffindor.

"Wait a moment", Potter said, "do you mean that you haven't _found _a job although you looked for one?"

He closed his eyes, wondering if the humiliation could be any worse. Well, at least he wasn't drenched in mud or naked or wearing pink hats.

"Just leave me alone, Potter", he replied tiredly, "I am very capable of handling my own stuff."

"No, you are not", the Auror said adamantly, "you'll work for me."

_It just goes on and on and on_

_Until it finally catches up on me_

_Like gravity it takes me up and turns me upside down_

Working for Potter wasn't as bad as expected. Surely, the Gryffindor was annoying as hell with his strict believes of moral and his overall altruism. He really saw the good in everyone – Merlin, he had even seen the good in _him, _his former arch-nemesis and the person who was somehow responsible for his mentor's death – and Draco really didn't know how to handle all this, but it wasn't bad. It was almost fun, working out what Potter had to do next and which ways of protection would be of advantage. To be completely honest, he enjoyed his life. He had his own flat, was slowly gaining enough money to buy the Manor back, his reputation was improving and – although they almost daily had a row – he even started to like the prat he was working with. Nevertheless, the realization that hit him on Halloween let him sleepless for the following week.

It was almost 3 a.m., when the sound of Apparation woke him. He had his wand out a second later, wondering who got through the dozens of wards he and Potter had set up, when a low groan was audible.

He was up and across the flat a few moments later, a "Lumos" illuminating Potter's ashen face. "Sorry, didn't want to wake you", the Auror murmured hoarsely, "but I…"

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. "Potter, do you have any idea what time it is?!"

Harry blinked, an eerie smile on his lips. "You look good in this light, Draco", he said silently, "almost angelic."

Draco lifted a brow and cocked his head. Alright, now it had happened, Potter had officially lost his mind. "You're babbling, Potter."

The Auror coughed lightly. "Sorry for staining your furniture", he whispered, and Draco raised his wand hand in alarm. That's when he saw it – dark, in the dim light of his wand almost black shining spots of blood and a deep gash under Potter's ribs. The Auror smiled weakly. "You know, Protego doesn't work with swords", he explained, and Draco cursed under his breath. Typical Gryffindor, not mentioning the near-lethal wound but making light conversation about his looks in the moonlight.

"Shut up, Pot-Head", he told him, "and don't move."

The Auror obliged, and some strenuous and anxious minutes later, the wound had closed. He had checked Potter's vitals at least a dozen times and was pretty sure that the lucky bastard would be back to normal in at least two days. He silently thanked his parents for their opinion that every wizard should know the basics of medical magical treatment and softly caressed Potter's jaw, who had fallen asleep during the procedure. "You're an idiot", he whispered silently, "don't you ever do something like this again. It's too hard, seeing you hurt."

And that's when he realized that his feelings towards the dark-haired had really changed a lot during the last couple of months.

_That's when it all came screaming back_

_Just like gravity, what draws you to me_

_Someone I didn't know I needed_

From there on, he acted like everyone in his situation would. He immediately became silent, bitter and sarcastic – in short, he revived his former asshole-self and made working with Potter a living hell. Of course the Auror noticed the sudden change in his co-worker's behaviour and like every good Gryffindor, he offered comfort and sympathy. Draco very much wanted to strangle him in those moments.

But even Potter's patience had its limits, and finally he exploded.

"Damn it, Malfoy, what the hell is your problem? It's your job to help me, so stop playing the martyr and do what you're paid for! If I wanted someone who annoys me 24/7, I would have asked you to marry me instead of offering you a job!"

Draco stared at him, asking himself what idiocy had possessed him to take this job, and wondered how long he could go on without loosing his mind. "You're right", he finally said, "I quit."

XXX

It was like a revival of that fateful Halloween night – he awoke due to the "Crack" of Apparation and had his wand in his hand before he even opened his eyes. Apparently the whole Auror-thing had rubbed off on him. Silently he got up and pressed himself flat on the wall.

Someone knocked politely on the bedroom door, and before he had the time to wonder why an attacker would knock, Potter's voice reached his ears.

"Draco? Are you awake?"

He sighed and let his head fall against the wall. Trust Potter to ask the silliest question possible.

"Yes, I am."

"Are you… dressed?"

Draco suppressed a laugh and looked down. Well, he wore boxers. "Yes", he answered again, and a moment later the door opened.

Potter's eyes seemed to glow in the weak light of his wand and he swallowed hard while looking at Draco's bare chest. He cleared his throat.

"I won't let you go", he announced, his voice iron although his fingers trembled slightly, "and you know that you won't find anything better. So stop being such a drama queen and come back to work."

Draco blinked, his heartbeat loud in his ears, not sure what to think.

"9 a.m. sharp. Don't be too late." The Gryffindor turned around. "We… I… need you." With that, he was gone.

_It's like gravity, and it's stronger than me_

_I need you here _

"Ready?"

He looked up, meeting Blaise' eyes, and nodded. "Just a minute."

He got up and knocked at Potter's door, who immediately barked "Come in!"

Potter sat at his desk, his brow furrowed in concentration, apparently working on a case, and glanced up. "I just wanted to say that I'm leaving for the day", Draco announced, and Potter's lip curled at the sight of Blaise leaning casually on Draco's desk.

"You two have plans?"

Draco frowned, unsure what to make of the unexpected venom in his colleague's voice. "Yes", he replied truthfully.

The Auror got out of his chair and walked over to him, softly closing the door and hereby effectively shutting out Blaise of their conversation.

He looked good, as usual, the Auror clothes fitting his muscular form perfectly and the dark green shirt highlighting his eyes. It would have been so much easier if he looked more like the nerdy jerk Draco had met so many years ago at Madame Malkin's.

_There you were in your perfection looking on_

_You see that I can only run in circles for so long_

"I don't think that Blaise is good company for you."

Draco sighed mentally, wondering how in Merlin's name he had gotten into such a stupid situation. Potter acted like a father protecting his little girl, and _that _really wasn't the way he wanted to be seen by the dark-haired.

"That's none of your business", he replied and asked himself if those words hurt the Auror as much as they hurt him. Bloody hell, now he was also thinking and behaving like a little girl – no wonder Potter treated him like one.

"It is, if it concerns you", Potter said, his eyes locking with Draco's, who silently wished that those eyes weren't so damn green, "we're working together."

_I know that_, Draco wanted to reply, _but what a stupid reason is that?_

_You just press on and on and on _

_Until you finally catch a grip on me_

_Like gravity you take me down and turn me upside down_

"He's just after your looks. You're a toy to him. Something to show off with. Like jewellery."

_Nice to know how high you think of me. _

He gave a bitter laugh and threw a quick glance at the mirror above Potter's shoulder. Well, he surely didn't look bad, and probably he should be delighted that Potter had noticed.

"Apparently you haven't realized it, but there's more about me than a face and an ass", he snapped, "and even if he's only after my looks, why do you care? It won't affect my work, don't worry. There won't be tears or puffy eyes, and you surely won't have to comfort me, if that's what you're afraid of. I don't even like him that way."

The Auror's eyes flashed angrily. "What kind of whore are you then, going out and shagging him if he doesn't mean anything to you?"

For a moment, Draco didn't move. Then he slowly, almost mechanically, turned around and opened the door. "Fuck. You."

XXX

It helped, having worked with the great Harry Potter. Suddenly everyone wanted a piece of him, and it was more than easy to find an adequate job. He worked half-time for a ridiculous amount of money, and in 3 months he had enough money to buy the Manor back. It was weird, moving back and leaving his flat behind which he and Potter had chosen and decorated. He was finally back in his old life, but somehow he didn't enjoy it.

He missed something, but he would rather die than admit that it had anything to do with bright green eyes or dark unruly hair that looked as if a bunch of angry birds lived in it.

And then, it happened again. He was in Hogsmeade, buying clothes that he didn't need - but as he had enough money to literally burn it, what else was there to do? – when suddenly all hell broke lose.

Curses flew left and right, and one hit his arm and left a throbbing pain that brought him to his knees. He fell down, clutching his wand and casting a Protego to shield him form further damage. Apparently, his Protego was way to weak, because moments later a curse hit his back and agony drove away his consciousness.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Potter. The Auror looked down at him intently and for a second Draco wondered if he was dreaming or dead.

"I thought I lost you", Potter muttered, and Draco gave a weak smile, ignoring his throbbing headache.

_That's when it all came screaming back_

_Just like gravity, what draws you to me_

_Someone I didn't know I needed_

"Where am I?"

"My place", Potter answered and reddened slightly. "St Mungo's is full of more severe cases, and as I don't know where you live any longer…"

Draco looked away, suddenly remembering their last encounter and the nasty parting-scene. He scowled. "You should have asked Blaise. He knows", he replied brutally, and the Auror flinched visibly.

"I didn't want to", he said, "to be honest, I wanted to talk to you in private."

He looked down and placed a hand on Draco's knee. "I miss you. You and your never ending complains." He gave a tentative smile.

_It's like gravity, and it's stronger than me_

_I need you here_

Draco sighed and watched him through half-lidded eyelids. He missed him – but for the wrong reasons. And Draco really didn't hate himself enough to go through hell again.

"And don't say that you like your new job more, because I know that it's boring as hell and you are probably bitching the whole time because there's nothing else to do", Potter babbled on, his thumb lightly caressing Draco's knee through the fabric of his trousers, "it's not enough for you. You deserve more. You're wasting your talent, and I know that you know it." He stopped to take a breath and waited anxiously for Draco's response.

The blond shifted uncomfortably and whished that his head wouldn't hurt quite so much. It would be way easier to have this conversation without the feeling that someone had hit him multiple times with a hammer over the head.

"Well, Potter, I really like my job", he began slowly, trying to sit up and failing miserably due to a wave of nausea that nearly made him vomit all over Potter's shirt, "it's much less complicated and I really got the feeling that no one in the whole company cares who I'm shagging or not shagging."

The Auror flushed and looked away. "You deserve better than him."

"Really", Draco said unimpressed, "although I'm a whore?"

Potter gritted his teeth and got up, pacing the room like a caged animal. "Damn, Draco, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to hurt you. Merlin, I would never intentionally hurt you! You… you are…" He stopped and looked around helplessly, apparently at a loss for words.

"I'm nothing but trouble, I know", Draco ended his sentence dryly and stood up, ignoring the sudden vertigo and praying to God that he wouldn't collapse so that he would feel even more like a damsel in distress, "I already got that the last time. You really didn't need to stun me, bring me here and tell me that again."

"I didn't stun you, goddamnit! I saved your stupid ass, 'cause you were strutting down that damn street full of bloody smugglers as if you owned it!" Potter exclaimed furiously and started pacing once again. It was really surprising that he hadn't run a path into the floor yet.

"Language, Potter", he said mildly, "and how should I've known that? I was just out there, shopping like everyone else, and I don't see them lying around here and being screamed at by you!"

"You would have known if you still worked for me, and there's no one else here because I don't feel for anyone else that way!" Potter bellowed.

"And what freakin' way might that be?" Draco barked back.

The Auror's eyes suddenly began to sparkle dangerously.

_When will you be able to see past your own hands?_

_I'm taking down empty pictures that we used to hold close,_

_Before you…_

"Geez, Dray, I always thought you were so clever", he sighed before walking over to the blond, pushing him firmly back on the couch and capturing his lips with his own.

It was every bit as perfect as Draco had expected.

Harry's hands clenched nearly painfully in his hair and his lips were doing things to his own that made him feel like liquid, ready to dissolve. But he wouldn't have been sorted into Slytherin if he had been as naïve to believe in something so rash.

Therefore he shoved the other away, tried his best to breath normally and stared at Potter like a hawk watching a mouse.

_That's when it all came screaming back_

_Just like gravity, what draws you to me_

_Someone I didn't know I needed_

"What are you doing, Potter? Testing out limits? Looking if there's still light on the other side of the rainbow?" he asked nastily, and the green eyes of the Auror cleared slightly.

"Do I have to write it down for you so that you will trust me? Shall I write an open love letter to the Daily Prophet?! Merlin, what do you think I'm doing?" he asked back, looking almost desperate. "You… you're just… Damn it, Malfoy, you're a bloody bastard!"

Ouch. For a second, Draco simply sat there, his growing erection ridiculously fast fading away into nothingness. Maybe he had only imagined that kiss. Maybe he had lost his mind due to that curse and started to hallucinate. He really should go to St Mungo's to be checked for mental damage.

"Half the time I want to scream at you, the other half I want so curse you… But always, in every horrible second I spend with you, I'm almost ludicrously happy, simply because you're there. It's hard to be with you, but it's even harder not to!"

Draco stared at him and lifted a brow. "You're talking nonsense, Potter."

"I can't help it", the Auror continued, ignoring Draco's comment, "even when I try to stay away from you, it feels as if I'm breathing underwater. And if I try to act as if you don't mean anything to me, not even I believe myself."

"You're a bad actor", Draco threw in absent-mindedly, "that's why you're in Gryffindor."

"Merlin, do you listen to me? Malfoy… Draco… I mean… Do you really don't know what I'm feeling?"

_It's like gravity, and it's stronger than me_

_I need you here_

He smiled and tilted his head to the side. "I think I do", he replied calmly.

"So? What are you gonna do about it? Hit me? Laugh at me? Write a letter to the Prophet and ruin my reputation?!" Harry asked, his voice near hysteria.

Draco just blinked, still smiling, and got up. Somewhen between the kiss, this weird declaration of love and the sweet hint of uncertainty, his headache had subsided, leaving a feeling of utter contentment that was almost frightening in its intensity.

"No", he said, stepping closer until he stood so close to Potter that he could breathe in his unique scent, "I think I know something better to do…"

"And what might that be?" the dark-haired asked again, suddenly sounding hoarse, and held up his chrin, stubbornly refusing to step back although Draco was miles in his personal space.

"Hmm…", Draco more moaned than said and let his tongue glide over the soft skin under Potter's ear, "you'll see."

XXX

"I don't like him", Harry scowled, and Draco sighed.

"You don't like any of my friends", he replied dryly and rolled his eyes. Harry's frown deepened.

"That's because you slept with each of them, and only God knows why", Harry said. Draco's eyes flashed dangerously.

"I had a sex life before you, and you damn well knew that", he hissed, "you never complained."

The Auror flushed, gripped the Slytherin's hand firmly and pulled him closer in a rather obvious display of possession.

"I just don't like the idea of you with someone else", he admitted silently, and again, Draco sighed.

"Haven't you noticed, Potter?" he said in the same low voice, "I'll always be yours. I can't help it. You're like a magnet, and wherever I'll go, I'll always come back to you."

And although that was probably the tackiest statement any Malfoy had ever made, it still was worth it, seeing the stars in Harry's eyes shine brighter than those above them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I heard this song – it's called "Gravity" – and I just had to use the refrain. Hope you like it. The song is from a band called "The Fold", and it's really great… Anyway, be kind and leave a review??


End file.
